FIFA Nails: Brazil vs. Croatia

WHO FOLLOWED LAST NIGHT'S MATCH? 

Me!!!

Not a big soccer follower, but there's something about watching soccer matches... Or maybe it's just me being satisfied with finding an excuse to justify staying up late/waking up in the earlier dawn hours.

It's a bit late for me to start any new kind of blogging series since the first game's already over and there will be another three matches from tonight through to tomorrow morning.... Meh. Who cares! Give FIFA inspired nails a go anyways!

...With the help of my sister of course! I've mentioned her here and there on this blog. She's a big nail fan, so we decided to get together and work on inspired nails for as many matches as we could.

I'll start off with my take on Croatia's inspired nails! Here it is....

Alright, I'd take it. It's not that good. Or in fact, it's not good at all. T^T Especially when it's put up against my sister's Brazil-inspired manicure.... It's like one came from heaven, and one came from hell!

Aww!! I really like what she did. The nail art and colour combo. Mine looks like a mess.... But Croatia's flag is very hard!

In case you're wondering, the nail polishes I used for my Croatia-inspired manicure is:

• Illamasqua Rubber Brights Nail Polish in Serenity | reviewed here >
• Ulta3 Nail Polish in Lily White
• Face Of Australia Pastels Nail Polish in Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy | featured here >
• Rimmel London Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Double Decker Red | featured here >
• Models Prefer Nail Polish in Little Black Dress
• Le'lan Vital High Gloss Top Coat

Gahhhh! I'll put in more effort next time!

Stay tuned for our next post!

X

FOTD: Catch-up with Tezz & Amanda

Hi cuties. Long time, no FOTD!

Why?

Well.. most likely because your boring blogger doesn't really switch things up for her make-up routine. It's usually just eyeliner, eyebrows, lipstick and your average highlighting and bronzing routine. Hue.

BUT!

...but I've tried something different today!

For base, I've used (and have been using) Bourjois' Healthy Mix Foundation in #52. It's a beautiful foundation with a light-medium soft and natural coverage. I know, I'm pretty late to the game... 

Didn't powder that day, only bronzed (pretty much all over) my face with Australis' Jumbo Mineral Bronzing Powder. This bronzing powder has the slightest luminous finish, which I don't mind.... but, the shade is a bit grey-toned. I haven't found any problems with this yet.

After purchasing The Balm Mary Lou Manizer, I've neveeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr ever skipped highlighting since! I love love love this powder so much. It's finish is very (very!) luminous. It may be too much for others, but I loveeeeeeeee the effect on my cheekbones and cupid's bow!

As for the barely-visible-blusher (meep), I've used Illamasqua's Powder Blush in Hussy, a matte pink blusher. No stand out feelings with this yet. 

Like I said, I've tried something different today.. and I'm liking it so far! I've used Rimmel London Scandaleyes Eyeshadow Stick in Bad Girl Bronze here... It's very subtle since I still don't feel fully comfortable with having it blended out too much. Will try harder next time so it'll be visible in photos, at the very least. 

For my lips, I went for a stained look, using MAC Lipstick in Impassioned for the center, along with a lipliner I've purchased from Vietnam as a base. It's named 'Pastel Pink' by a brand called Mira Line n' Design, but I couldn't find any online information about it AT ALL. Yeap, at all. Gasp. 

Besides these products, I've also used an eyeliner I've purchased from Vietnam by mik@vonk. My sister raves about this liquid eyeliner, but I've yet to find anything extraordinarily good about it.... Hmm.

Anyways! Yeah! These were pretty much all the products I've used ^-^

Before I let you go... let me just share you some delish snaps of the food I had. Yammy! 

Yes, we went to Grill'd. Munched down some fries and a Crispy Bacon & Cheese Beef Burger, alongside with a Tiramisu-flavoured Iced Latte from elsewhere (forgot! woops!). 

KKK. That's all for this blog's post. 

You are all dismissed... till next time! 

Illamasqua The Scared Hour Collection Nail Lacquer in Facet

Helloooooooooooo.

Let's talk more about new products today! Just a bit over a week ago, I was invited to Illamasqua's launch for their newest collection, The Scared Hour. 

The collection was launched on 1st September, so you should be able to find them at your local Illamasqua stockist(s) by now. The collection features quite a few products, but straying away from the usual bright and bolds, The Sacred Hour features neutrals along with the darks and the vampies.

As per usual, their promo photos never fails to disappoint me! Here are some of my favourites that I've gathered online...

For your reading (or enabling) convenience, a brief rundown on the products and prices:

• Reflection Palette ($53): Has a water-resistant formula, silky textures, shimmery finishes, is long-wearing and applies with an effortless application. I've felt these and they share the same bouncy texture (when touched) with their previous palette from the Paranormal collection.
• Velvet Blushers ($28/2 shades): These are actually cream-to-powder blushers! They feel like a cream in pan, but applies with a matte finish. 
• Lipsticks ($39/1 shade): Long-wearing with a creamy matte finish.
• Nail Varnishes ($34/2 shades): Inspired by opalescent crystals and flint, these varnishes are suppose to create a "mystical finish" whilst being long-wearing and chip resistant.
• Lush Lash ($22): Enchanting, feather-like lashes to complete and complement and add drama to any look. 
• Skin Base Lift ($24): A brightening concealer which is suppose to lift, illuminate and provide a flawless coverage for the skin. Blends easily, and is infused with warm peach tones to flatter every skin tone. Also available in a white shade for those who are interested, called "White Light"!

Illamasqua kindly sent me home with one of the two new nail lacquers, Facet, and their Skin Base Lift [brightening concealer], which is raved by their staffs to be perfectly suited for achieving the Kim K look! 

My skin is disastrous at the moment so the concealer will have to wait! However, there are never bad days for nail polishessssss. Hoho! 

I forgot to mention that this collection is based on a mystical theme and I'd have to say that the colour and shimmers of this lacquer fits the collection PERFECTLY. The purpley-grey based colour combined with fine gold shimmers reminds me a lot of the foggy wild woods where all the mystiques are found.

I'm serious.

It's actually not sheer like I've expected, so 3 coats was enough for a decent coverage. Also pretty glossy throughout the week that I wore it, with minimum tip wear! ^~^

But on the end note, $36 a pop... Quite a good formula, so you if you're keen on this particular shade and can afford it.. I don't see why not!

Will you be trying anything from Illamasqua's The Sacred Hour Collection?

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Facet, $34.00, available at Myers.

Illamasqua PARANORMAL Nail Polish in 'Ouija'

Illamasqua's PARANORMAL Collection has been out for a while now, so I'm very behind with this post! Don't fret though! The collection and its products are still available instore and online at their website ~

The collection features some pretty whack products! If you haven't already heard or seen, I'll give ya a run down of what I thought was interesting from their range...

• Paranormal Palette -- This fun, colourful and bright eyeshadow palette does not feature your average powder eyeshadows.. But they're not exactly creams either. They have this unique feel to them when you touch them! It's soft and "bouncy" -- I know.. very hard to imagine, but it just is!
• Lipsticks -- I was told that one of the two shades featured in the collection were.. inspired by dead people. Interesting idea? Ye........no. Ok. Kind of. 
• Hydra Veil Moisturising Primer Base -- This was probably the most interesting from the range! It has a "jelly" texture and consistency. When swirled, it looks like broken jelly.. but after a short period of time, it merges back into its old form like nothing has ever happened before..

Last, but not least.. There's also their UV nail polishes ($22.50) which are available in 4 shades. The one that I was provided with (to trial) is called 'Ouija' and here it is -

'Ouija' is a medium rose pink, fused with very fine shimmers. Yes, I like to describe all my pink nail polishes as "rosey" pinks. So wot? :P

To be honest, the colour didn't really "wow" me, but there's something about the finish of this particular polish that makes it interesting. It's not exactly matte, nor is it glossy, but then semi-matte isn't quite correct. It's much like a satin finish -- a tad glossy, but a tad semi-matte.

Yeap. That is the perfect description, methinks. Almost as perfect as this:

LOL. I found this meme online yesterday -- pretty perfect, don't you think?!

As for the consistency, it's much thinner than the previous Illamasqua nail polishes that I've tried. However, don't let that fool you, because it actually doesn't apply to be sheer at all. 

Two coats gives quite an opaque finish, so you don't have to worry about the hassle of layering or waiting for it to dry. It dries pretty quick and wears quite well! I can wear this for up to 5 days before having to repaint! However, I did find that the satin finish wore off into a glossy finish after a day of wear or so... which is usually the case with lacquers of mattes, semi-mattes, etc.

Overall, it's a nice polish to have. I love the satin finish it has, but I feel like the colour is just another average pink. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the "UV" version in action. I'd love to show you guys what it looks like under UV lightings too, but I am a noob and I have no idea how to do that :(

Have you tried ANY products from Illamasqua's PARANORMAL range?

How do you like the idea of "lipstick shades inspired by dead people"?

Although I'm not overly excited about these UV nail polishes as I was previously for their Speckled and Rubber Brights, I still DO look forward to see what they'll be releasing in their next collection! Glitters please!


Disclaimer: Product was provided for review consideration only. All opinions, comments featured within this post belongs to myself and remains to be uninfluenced and unbiased. 

NOTD: Illamasqua, Australis, Maybelline & Inglot

I've been MIA on Instagram (@the_beautifool) lately, because I've been quite busy. But! I was hopping around on Instagram the other night and saw that Beauty Heaven was hosting a nail art competition on their Instagram!

I am obviously not the greatest nail art person alive, so thank Lord they've hosted the competition with the most SIMPLE designs to be recreated. Seriously, if they've thrown in some harder designs, then my nail art takes would obviously be out of the question.

Sourced from @BeautyHeaven Instagram

To be honest, I don't even know what's the prize for this competition is. LOL. I am just entering, because it looks fun and it's been a while since I've won something, so I thought I'd try my luck.

For this NOTD/nail art entry, I've used:

• Inglot Matte Top Coat -- I've used this over Illamasqua Serenity to keep it matte after the glitter top coat on the accent. 
• Maybelline Color Show Nail Colour 'Pedal To The Medal' (silver) -- I've also used this in another recreated nail art design not too long ago. The photos surely does do justice to the reflectiveness of the polish. Very reflective in real life and very foily. 
• Australis Glitter Nail Lacquer in 'Shimmy Shake' -- I also really like this silver glitter! Its silver specks are quite reflective and also looks great over darker blue nail colours.
• Illamasqua Rubber Brights in 'Serenity' (blue) -- one of my FAVOURITE blues! Initially, I planned to use a darker blue, but I'm glad I did switch to this one! It looks amazing when paired with silver. Posted about it here.

And HERE is the final looooooooook.....

Quick, easy and simple! I can imagine any other colours paired over the silver base and the silver specks! One design fits all! Hehehehe..

Did I win the competition?

Nopeeeeeee.

If you have Instagram, you can search #esteelauderpastelnailart to see entries of others! ^_^ 

Illamasqua Rubber Brights Nail Polish in Serenity

We all know I'm a drugstore bargain queen so Illamasqua is a brand that I don't touch. However, in all honesty, I LOVE how funky and whack their collections and products can get!

Illamasqua Rubber Brights Nail Varnishes

So when they released their Rubber Brights nail lacquers, I thought "what?! Must get!"....... Hence, here I am with one called 'Serenity' which is described to be a "bright turquoise".

Serenity is my very first turqouise nail colour and I must say that I am LOVING the colour, the brightness AND the semi-matte finish that comes along with it! Although described with a "rubber-like finish", I honestly didn't find any difference in how it felt OR looked in comparison to my other semi-matte lacquers.... so that's a bit of a dud.

In the photos, I'm wearing three average coats since it was a tad streaky even after two coats. The third coat was quite necessary (in my opinion) since it did smooth out the streakiness and gave the manicure a full opaque look.

I've worn this for 8 days and I did find that the semi-matte finish did rub off after a few days, but it's quite chip resistant. Eight days of wear and I've only got minor tip wear, so you can say that I am impressed!

All in all, despite its over-marketed "rubber" finish, I still really like 'Serenity' for its brightness, unique colour and long wearing power. This one's definitely going to my list of favourite blue nail polishes, and I'm hoping that there's a cheaper dupe around since it IS from limited edition range and comes with a hefty price tag.

What do you think of these "Rubber Brights" nail varnishes?

Yay or nay?

Illamasqua Rubber Brights Nail Lacquers, Limited Edition, 6 shades, Myer.


Disclaimer: This product was provided for review consideration only. I was not obligated to mention, post about or review this product. All opinions within this post are of my own and remains to be unbiased and uninfluenced.

NEW Illamasqua I'mperfection 'Fragile' and 'Freckle' Nail Polishes

Hey there Delilah! You know I usually don't post about higher-end brands, but this is something kinda different I would say! I was actually [luckily] invited to Illamasqua's  launch event last Wednesday to check out their new collection called 'I'mperfection'.

A shot of their beautiful speckled eyeliner look! On my must-try list it goes!

I've always wanted to give Illamasqua's products a go, especially ever since they've begun with their "Fair Price for Beauty" campaign as their prices drops to be around Revlon's price range. But for me, that's still out of my price range. I'm probably the biggest beauty-on-a-budget blogger you'll ever know! :P

Anyways, I was given an opportunity to try out their I'mperfection nail varnishes! At the event, I was told that Illamasqua varnishes are usually very opaque, but these new ones are on the sheerer side -- which is true, I'd say!

They are sheerer, but not too sheer! I only needed about 3 coats for an opaque coverage and I think it may just be a good thing that it's sheerer, because once you layer coats over coats, the black speckled rounds will look "faded" which adds dimensions to the look altogether... if you digg that.

As for its application and wear time -- these two shades I own lasted a good 4 days with minor tip wear (I know, I know. I usually don't trial wear times because I use peel off base coats which gives inaccurate results, but I was so excited that I quickly whipped these out on the train ride home from the event without any peel off base coats >_<" Story of my life!) and I really had no problems with its application for its consistency is on the thinner side and is non-streaky and non-gloopy. The brush is also easy to use. No problemo, but like glitter nail polishes, these speckles can be a painnnnnnnn to remove!

Onto swatches!!

Fragile is a speckled soft sky blue. I've actually never really looked into light blues, just because I personally don't like the look of blue nail polishes on me and not to mention my hands are pretty dark so I wouldn't even think about LIGHT blues. BUT.... when I wore this.. I thought it looked pretty good >_<" I wouldn't wear the light blue colour alone, but with the speckles? Yes. Definitely!

Pretty cute, yes? ^_^ The other shade I received was...

Freckle, which doesn't look too appealing, does it? :P It's a yellow-based tan colour with the same black speckles which reminds me ALOT of cookies and cream... or iced coffee even! I honestly don't mind this colour, but it's definitely not my favourite. I think it does make a nice neutral to wear on the nails, but I'd like to see the speckles pop against the base colour.. so it's a meh for my personal preference!

Overall, I personally think these nail polishes are something different. They're good quality and are nice to add to any's nail polish collection, but I can't afford its price tag and I'm not a BIG fan of speckles so I won't be looking. If you're a keen bean and can afford it, then go wild!

I know that they also have a green lipgloss in this collection, which I'm really keen on! "Why so bold Tram?", you've asked? Because!! Not only can you wear it alone on its own, but you can also combine it with any coloured lipstick to mix your own shade! Like, when you mix it with red, it turns to a berry colour... cool right?!?!?!?!

What do you think of Illamasqua's I'mperfection collection?

Will you be getting your hands on any products from this collection?

Illamasqua Limited Edition Speckled Nail Varnishes retails for $22.50, on counter now at Myer.

Disclaimer: Products were provided for review consideration. All opinions expressed within this post are of my own and remains uninfluenced. Please refer to this site's disclosure policy. 

Dare to Wear #4 Challenge by FunnyFaceBeauty (Illamasqua)

Hello beautifools! Another quick post for today...

I recently stumbled across FunnyFaceBeauty's blog and I saw that she has put up a 'Dare to Wear Challenge' blog post. In her most recent Dare to Wear post, she features fewer photos by Illamasqua which which was from their recent collection called 'Theatre of the Nameless', I believe.

I actually don't know much about the brand, so correct me if I'm wrong!

But on another note, Illamasqua's stash of photos looks amazing! Ooft! This has to be my favourite photo of their collection:

I love the thick black outline of the facial features and that little circle on her cheek... I don't know what it is, but to me.. it looks like a cute mole. Hahahaha! Or 'beauty spot' if you'd like to call it.

Of course, out of FunnyFaceBeauty's post, I picked this look to recreate! Too bad I don't have any necklace and accessories for props!

So here's an attempt of my recreation if you're ready....

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I actually like the photos with flash better as they didn't wash out the intensity of the black eyeliner and all...

Overall, this was a very fun and messy look! I definitely enjoyed seeing my mum's reaction when I blocked out my brows also!

One more thing about this look is that, I actually only blocked out half my eyebrows, so I had to go over with Photoshop to actually remove the traces of me brows! I also used Photoshop to intensify the black eyeliner in the first two photos as the lighting did wash it out a tad..

Besides that, I did not airbrush my skin or whatever - just in case you're wondering!

There's fewer things that I do need to improve or change about this make-up look also! I need to work more on highlighting the cheekbones and also my eyelids. And more blush too! Cry!

Hope you liked this post!

P.S. I look like a man with my outlined lips LOL!